Once again, it was early in the day and I took apart the horizontal tubular drain pipe from the one sink basin that feeds water down to the p-trap.

OMG! It was really clogged. That’s not good because it means that further down the pipe there could be problems.

It was a combination of food debris and caked-on grease on the sides of the PVC pipe.

I cleaned the pipe, checked the p-trap – it was partially clogged – and put it all back together.

The sink still drained slow. UGH!

Rather than take everything apart, I decided to try one thing that often works.

I got a clean toilet plunger and I filled one of the sinks in the double-bowl sink halfway up with water.

I then put a drain strainer in the empty sink and held it down tight with my hand. Then I removed the strainer from the water-filled sink and got it out of the way.

I then started to plunge the sink. All sorts of crap came back up in the sink. I kept plunging and the water started to drain a little faster, but not all that great.

The reason I held the one strainer down in the empty sink is because I wanted the pressure from the plunger to be directed down into the pipes. If you just leave that drain hole open in a double-bowl sink, the pressure comes up through the sink and nothing happens in the drain pipes.

The same is true in vanity sinks. When you plunge those, you need to cover and seal the overflow hole at the top rim of the sink.

I knew the pipes beyond the p-trap had to be grease coated and partially clogged. I immediately got several large pots of water boiling.

I then poured these into the sink somewhat slowly and it did a pretty good job. The sinks are now draining much faster.

Here’s how to PREVENT kitchen sink drain pipe clogs:

Don’t put grease down the sink. Remove grease from pots and pans with paper towels and throw these away.

Keep sink strainers in place to capture large food particles and throw this in the garbage.

When rinsing food and waste run clear water down the drain for at least 20 seconds to FLUSH the waste through the p-trap and down the horizontal drain pipe past the p-trap.

Every week, pour at least two gallons of boiling water down your kitchen sink.

Soggy Lawns and Yards

How to DRY Them Out

Emily lives on the island of Tasmania in Australia. She reached out with a big problem at her new home.

The builder GOOFED up with the grading around her house and now she’s got a wet yard situation.

Did you know I’m a college-trained geologist with a special interest in hydrogeology – the study of groundwater?

I’ve SOLVED thousands of WET YARD situations over the years with my simple linear french drain.

READ what I told Emily and be SURE to look at the incredible DVD I produced about how to transform your WET yard into a miniature Atacama Desert!